Wireless local area communication method and terminal supporting the same

ABSTRACT

Methods and terminals for sharing content are described. In one method, an application is activated, upon detection of an event for executing the application, on a terminal, and an application screen having at least one content is displayed. Upon detecting a touch input for selecting, at least one content is selected. Upon detecting a touch input on a transmission button on the application screen, the selected at least one content is transmitted to an external terminal. In another method, an application screen having at least one icon for executing function is displayed; a touch input for selecting an icon associated with content to be received from an external terminal is detected; at least one identifier broadcast by the external terminal is displayed; and at least one content is received from the external terminal corresponding to the selected identifier, upon detection of a touch input for selecting at least one identifier.

PRIORITY

This application is a continuation under 35 U.S.C. §120 of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/559,152, which was filed Dec. 3, 2014 and was acontinuation under 35 U.S.C. §120 of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/368,806, which was filed Feb. 8, 2012, issued on Dec. 16, 2014 asU.S. Pat. No. 8,913,957, and claimed priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) toKorean Patent Application No. 10-2011-0057211, which was filed in theKorean Intellectual Property Office on Jun. 14, 2011, the entiredisclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to wireless local areacommunication and, more particularly, to a method for wireless localarea communication that enables nearby terminals to be paired in an easyand rapid way for data communication and a terminal supporting themethod.

2. Description of the Related Art

Unlike existing phones with fixed functionality, smart phones allowusers to download various applications from online markets and installthe downloaded applications therein.

In recent years, high-end mobile terminals with a large storage capacityact as media connections and content sharing between persons anddevices. In wireless local area communication, devices may be pairedtogether via Access Points (AP) or may be directly paired without accesspoints. Direct pairing between Wi-Fi devices may be achieved using adhoc networking, mobile access points or Wi-Fi Direct.

Currently, wireless local area communication may require manual Wi-Fisettings. Pairing procedures may be difficult or complex for users whoare unaware of or unfamiliar with wireless local area networktechnology.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the aboveproblems occurring in the prior art and the present invention provides amethod and terminal enabling automatic pairing of nearby devices fordata communication.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a method fortransmitting contents by a terminal is provided, including: activatingan application, upon detection of an event for executing theapplication; displaying an application screen having at least onecontent; detecting a touch input for selecting at least one content; andtransmitting the selected at least one content to an external terminal,upon detection of a touch input on a transmission button displayed onthe application screen.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method forreceiving contents by a terminal is provided, including: displaying anapplication screen having at least one icon for executing function;detecting a touch input for selecting an icon associated with a contentto be received from an external terminal; displaying at least oneidentifier, wherein the at least one identifier was broadcast by theexternal terminal; and receiving at least one content from the externalterminal corresponding selected identifier, upon detection of a touchinput for selecting at least one identifier.

In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, aterminal is provided, including: a display unit which displays anapplication screen having at least one content; a control unit whichactivates an application, upon detection of an event for executing theapplication, detects a touch input for selecting at least one content,and detects a touch input on a transmission button displayed on theapplication screen; and a wireless communication unit which, undercontrol of the control unit, transmits the selected at least one contentto an external terminal.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, aterminal is provided, including: a display unit which displays anapplication screen having at least one icon for executing function; acontrol unit which detects a touch input for selecting an iconassociated with a content to be received from an external terminal, andcontrols to display at least one identifier, wherein the at least oneidentifier was broadcast by the external terminal; and a wirelesscommunication unit which, under control of the control unit, receives atleast one content from the external terminal corresponding selectedidentifier, upon detection of a touch input for selecting at least oneidentifier.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more apparent from the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for wireless local area communicationaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating screens for operations of a masterterminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating screens for operations of a slaveterminal;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for wireless local area communicationaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for wireless local area communicationaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method for wireless local area communicationaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method for wireless local area communicationaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method for wireless local area communicationaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a method for wireless local area communicationaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating screens for operations of a masterterminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating screens for operations of a slaveterminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Hereinafter, the method and terminal of the present invention aredescribed in various embodiments with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. Detailed descriptions of well-known functions and structuresincorporated herein may be omitted to avoid obscuring the subject matterof the present invention. Particular terms may be defined to describethe invention in the best manner. Accordingly, the meaning of specificterms or words used in the specification and the claims should not belimited to the literal or commonly employed sense, but should beconstrued in accordance with the spirit of the invention. Thedescription of the various embodiments is does not describe everypossible variation of the invention. Therefore, various changes may bemade and equivalents may be substituted for elements of the invention.

The terminal of the present invention is a Wi-Fi enabled device, and maybe any information, communication or multimedia device, such as apersonal computer, laptop computer, desktop computer, MP3 player,Portable Multimedia Player (PMP), Personal Digital Assistant (PDA),tablet personal computer, mobile phone, or smart phone. In the followingdescription, the terminal is assumed to be a smart phone.

In the description, a terminal may be a master terminal or a slaveterminal according to the role of an access point or a host. That is, aterminal that generates an identifier for pairing (i.e. Service SetIdentifier (SSID)) and accepting a pairing request becomes a masterterminal. A terminal that sends a pairing request to the master terminalbecomes a slave terminal. In the present invention, a terminal mayfunction as a master terminal or a slave terminal. A terminal maydownload a pairing application from an online market and install thesame therein. A terminal may use an application delivered by a cloudserver providing cloud-computing services. In the description, anapplication refers to an application providing a pairing function, suchas an application related to file transfer, gaming, chatting, screensharing, video calls, voice calls, and remote control. In the followingdescription, applications are assumed to be file transfer applications.

In one embodiment, upon detection of a master start event, the masterterminal prepares a pairing procedure by randomly selecting one ofmultiple channel numbers, generating an identifier on the basis of theselected channel number and identification information related toapplications, and broadcasting the generated identifier to externaldevices or slave terminals. Here, the identification informationcontains an application specific code. Applications have different codesdepending to their types. For example, a gaming application has anapplication specific code different from that of a file transferapplication. The master terminal displays the set channel number tonotify the user of the master terminal and users of nearby slaveterminals of the channel number. For security reasons, the masterterminal may not broadcast the identifier, and may respond to a slaveterminal having sent an identifier identical to the identifier of themaster terminal. A master terminal may be paired with multiple slaveterminals. In some cases, multiple master terminals may be closelylocated, and, when they use the same identifier, paring errors mayoccur. Here, the channel number is used to prevent duplication ofidentifiers. For example, when a channel number is selected from a rangeof 0 to 999, the probability that two or more master terminals selectthe same channel number is very low. Hence, as different masterterminals use different channel numbers, paring errors due to identifierduplication may be prevented.

In another embodiment, upon detection of a slave start event, the slaveterminal may select one of the received identifiers containingapplication-related identification information, and perform pairing witha master terminal having broadcast the selected identifier. That is, theslave terminal regards a master terminal having broadcast an identifiercontaining identification information as the master terminal to bepaired therewith. Although rare, when two or more identifiers containingidentification information are found, the slave terminal may display thetwo or more identifiers to enable the user to select a desired masterterminal. In this case, the slave terminal may select one of the two ormore identifiers exhibiting the highest signal strength and performpairing with a master terminal having broadcast the selected identifier.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a terminal 100 according to an embodimentof the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the terminal 100 may include an input unit 110, adisplay unit 120, a storage unit 130, a wireless communication unit 140,a camera module 150, and a control unit 160. The input unit 110generates a user input event and sends the user input event to thecontrol unit 160, and may include a touch screen 111 and a key inputpart 112.

The touch screen 111 generates a touch event and sends the touch eventto the control unit 160. A touch event may correspond to a touch anddrop action, a drag and drop action or a flick and drop action. Here,the touch and drop action corresponds to pressing with the finger andreleasing of the finger at the same point; the drag and drop actioncorresponds to pressing with the finger, moving the finger in adirection and releasing of the finger; and the flick and drop actioncorresponds to pressing with the finger, moving the finger quickly in aspecific direction and releasing the finger. The control unit 160 maydistinguish a flick gesture and a drag gesture by movement speed. Thetouch and drop action may be classified into a tap gesture and a pressgesture depending to the contact maintenance time. That is, the tapgesture is a touch with a short contact maintenance time and the pressgesture is a touch with a long contact maintenance time.

Touch events may be classified into a master start event, a master endevent, a slave start event and a slave end event depending on usagecontext. Touch events may be further classified in various waysdepending on their location, direction, distance, and pressure. Thetouch screen 111 may be implemented using resistive type, capacitivetype or pressure type technology.

The key input part 112 includes a plurality of keys for manipulating theterminal 100, and sends a key event to the control unit 160. Key eventsmay be a power on or off event, a volume control event, and a screen onor off event.

The display unit 120 converts image data from the control unit 160 intoan analog signal and displays the analog signal. Under control of thecontrol unit 160, the display unit 120 divides the screen into anindicator region, a main region and a sub region. The display unit 120displays indicators for the current time, remaining battery power andsignal strength in the indicator region, displays a main screen in themain region, and displays a sub screen in the sub region. Here, the mainscreen may be one of a lock screen, a home screen and an applicationcontrol screen. The lock screen is displayed when the display unit 120is turned on. The home screen includes a plurality of icons associatedwith various applications. The sub screen may include icons associatedwith applications currently executed or frequently used. The sub screenmay include menu items for changing main screen settings.

The storage unit 130 stores programs and related data necessary foroperation of the terminal 100. The storage unit 130 may store anoperating system, applications, image data, audio data and video data.The storage unit 130 may be composed of a primary storage part and asecondary storage part. The primary storage part may be implementedusing a RAM, and the secondary storage part may be implemented using aflash memory.

The primary storage part is used to load the operating system and anapplication. When the terminal 100 is turned on, the operating system isloaded from the secondary storage part onto the primary storage part forbooting. When an application is invoked, it is loaded from the secondarystorage part onto the primary storage part for execution; and whenexecution of the application is ended, the application is removed fromprimary storage part. The secondary storage part is used to store theoperating system, and various applications and data. The secondarystorage part may be segmented into a data area and a program area. Inparticular, the data area stores application specific codes and apassword table for generating identifiers. Here, application specificcodes may be represented in Unicode. The password table containsmultiple passwords, which correspond to individual channel numbers. Asdescribed above, an identifier is composed of a channel number ranging,for example, from 0 to 999 and an application specific code.

The wireless communication unit 140 sends and receives signals forcommunication related to SMS text messages, MMS multimedia messages,voice calls, video calls and data calls. The wireless communication unit140 converts voice and sound data and control data into a radiofrequency signal and transmits the radio signal, and receives a radiofrequency signal and converts the received signal into voice and sounddata and control data, using a radio frequency transmitter forup-converting the frequency of a signal to be transmitted and amplifyingthe signal, and a radio frequency receiver for low-noise amplifying areceived signal and down-converting the frequency of the receivedsignal. In addition, the wireless communication unit 140 may include aWi-Fi module and a Bluetooth® module for accessing an access point orfor wireless communication with a nearby device.

The camera module 150 captures an image of a target object and sends thecaptured image to the control unit 160. The camera module 150 mayinclude a front camera module installed at the front of the terminal anda rear camera module installed at the back.

The control unit 160 controls the overall operation of the terminal 100and controls the signal exchange between internal components. Upondetection of a lock release event such as a drag and drop from the leftto the right, the control unit 160 performs screen transition from thelock screen to the home screen or an application control screen. Upondetection of a touch event such as a tap on an icon, the control unit160 activates an application associated with the icon and performs ascreen transition from the home screen to an application control screen.The control unit 160 performs functions of a master and a slave. Thesefunctions are described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 2 to 12.The terminal 100 of FIG. 1 may act as a master or as a slave.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for wireless local area communicationaccording to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is adiagram illustrating screens for operations of the master terminal, andFIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating screens for operations of the slaveterminal. Here, the master terminal and the slave terminal are assumedto have the same configuration.

Referring to FIG. 2, in the master terminal, the display unit displaysan indicator screen 301, a home screen 302 and a sub screen 303 asindicated by (a) of FIG. 3 under control of the control unit. When theuser enters a tap on an icon 304, the control unit activates anapplication associated with the icon 304 in step 201 and controls thedisplay unit to display an application screen 305 in the main region.Later, the control unit detects a master start event such as a tap on anicon 306 labeled “photo transfer” as indicated by (b) of FIG. 3 in step202. The control unit controls the display unit to display a photographselection screen 308 as indicated by (c) of FIG. 3. When the userselects photographs and enters a tap on a “transmit” button 309, thecontrol unit randomly sets a channel number in step 203. For example,the control unit may randomly select a number (for example, 305) from apreset range from 0 to 999 and sets the selected number as a channelnumber. The control unit generates an identifier composed of theapplication specific code activated at step 201 and the set channelnumber “ch 305” in step 204. The control unit controls the display unitto display the application name “Emolink ” and the channel number “ch305” as indicated by (d) of FIG. 3 in step 205, and controls thewireless communication unit to broadcast the identifier in step 206. Thecontrol unit may control the display unit to display an icon 307 toindicate channel preparation and a wait for pairing with a slaveterminal as indicated by (d) of FIG. 3.

In the slave terminal, the control unit activates a requestedapplication in step 207 and controls the display unit to display anapplication screen 401 in the main region as indicated by (a) of FIG. 4.Later, the control unit detects a slave start event such as a tap on a“receive” icon 402 as indicated by (a) of FIG. 4 in step 208. Thecontrol unit finds identifiers containing an application specific codeamong identifiers received through the wireless communication unit instep 209, and counts the number of found identifiers in step 210. Whenno identifier is found, the control unit returns to step 209. When oneidentifier is found, the control unit selects the identifier andproceeds to step 212. When two or more identifiers are found, thecontrol unit displays the found identifiers (for example, “EmoLink ch107” and “EmoLink ch 305”) as indicated by (b) of FIG. 4. When the userenters a tap on one of the displayed identifiers containing a channelnumber identical to the channel number (i.e., “ch 305”) set by themaster terminal, the control unit selects the identifier containing thechannel number “ch 305” set by the master terminal in step 211.

The control unit of the slave terminal extracts the channel number(i.e., “ch 305”) from the selected identifier in step 212. The controlunit retrieves a password corresponding to the extracted channel number(i.e., “ch 305”) from the storage unit in step 213. The control unitcontrols the wireless communication unit to transmit a pairing requestsignal to the master terminal in step 214. Here, the pairing requestsignal contains the retrieved password and the identifier sent by themaster terminal.

The wireless communication unit of the master terminal receives thepairing request signal from the slave terminal. The control unitretrieves a password corresponding to the broadcast identifier from thestorage unit. When the retrieved password is identical to the receivedpassword, the control unit controls the wireless communication unit totransmit a pairing acceptance signal to the slave terminal in step 215.After completion of pairing with the slave terminal, the control unit ofthe master terminal may control the display unit to display anotification, such as “Pairing completed!” as indicated by (e) of FIG.3. After completion of pairing, the control unit of the slave terminalmay also control the display unit to display a notification “Pairingcompleted!” as indicated by (c) of FIG. 4.

After pairing, the master terminal performs data communication with theslave terminal in step 216. For example, the control unit of the masterterminal may control the wireless communication unit to send thephotographs selected at step 202 to the slave terminal, and also controlthe display unit to display the transmission status as indicated by (f)of FIG. 3. After sending the photographs, the control unit may controlthe display unit to display an indication, such as “transmissioncompleted” as indicated by (g) of FIG. 3. The wireless communicationunit of the slave terminal receives the photographs from the masterterminal, and the control unit may control the display unit to displaythe reception status as indicated by (d) of FIG. 4.

As described above, the method of the present invention may simplify theprocedure of pairing. For example, the user of the master terminal maycomplete the pairing procedure by entering a tap on the icon 304 mappedwith an application and entering a tap on the icon 306 labeled “phototransfer”. The user of the slave terminal may also complete the pairingprocedure by entering two or three taps.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for wireless local area communicationaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the master terminal, upon detection of anexecution event such as a tap on an icon mapped with an application, thecontrol unit activates the application in step 501. Later, the controlunit detects a master start event in step 502 and randomly sets achannel number in step 503. The control unit generates an identifiercomposed of the application specific code and the set channel number instep 504. The control unit controls the display unit to display thechannel number in step 505, and controls the wireless communication unitto broadcast the identifier in step 506.

In this embodiment, when an application is activated, the slave terminalmay continuously search for a master terminal broadcasting an identifiercontaining a desired application specific code and notify the user ofthe found master terminal. More specifically, in the slave terminal,upon detection of an execution event mapped with an application, thecontrol unit activates the application in step 507. The control unitfinds identifiers containing the application specific code amongidentifiers received through the wireless communication unit in step508, and counts the number of found identifiers in step 509. When noidentifier is found, the control unit returns to step 508. When at leastone identifier is found, the control unit notifies the user of thesearch result in step 510. For example, the control unit may control thedisplay unit to display a notification. Thereafter, the control unitdetects a slave start event in step 511, and examines the number offound identifiers in step 512. When one identifier is found, the controlunit selects the identifier and proceeds to step 514. When two or moreidentifiers are found, the control unit controls the display unit todisplay the channel numbers of the found identifiers. The user enters atap on one of the channel numbers identical to that of the masterterminal, and the control unit selects one of the found identifierscontaining the tapped channel number in step 513. The control unitextracts the channel number from the selected identifier in step 514.The control unit retrieves a password corresponding to the extractedchannel number from the storage unit in step 515. The control unitcontrols the wireless communication unit to transmit a pairing requestsignal to the master terminal in step 516. In the master terminal, thewireless communication unit receives the pairing request signal from theslave terminal. The control unit of the master terminal retrieves apassword corresponding to the broadcast identifier from the storageunit. When the retrieved password is identical to the received password,the control unit controls the wireless communication unit to transmit apairing acceptance signal to the slave terminal in step 517. Afterpairing, the master terminal performs data communication with the slaveterminal in step 518.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for wireless local area communicationaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, in the master terminal, upon detection of anexecution event associated with an application, the control unitactivates the application in step 601. Later, the control unit detects amaster start event in step 602 and randomly sets a channel number instep 603. The control unit generates an identifier composed of theapplication specific code and the set channel number in step 604. Thecontrol unit controls the display unit to display the channel number instep 605, and controls the wireless communication unit to broadcast theidentifier in step 606.

In this embodiment, although an application is not activated, the slaveterminal may continuously search for a master terminal broadcasting anidentifier containing an application specific code and notify the userof the found master terminal. More specifically, in the slave terminal,the control unit finds identifiers containing an application specificcode among identifiers received through the wireless communication unitin step 607, and counts the number of found identifiers in step 608.When no identifier is found, the control unit returns to step 607. Whenat least one identifier is found, the control unit notifies the user ofthe search result in step 609. For example, the control unit may controlthe display unit to display a notification for the found identifier andan enquiry message for the slave function. Thereafter, the control unitdetects a slave start event in step 610, and automatically activates anapplication associated with the slave start event in step 611. Thecontrol unit examines the number of found identifiers in step 612. Whenone identifier is found, the control unit selects the identifier andproceeds to step 614. When two or more identifiers are found, thecontrol unit controls the display unit to display the channel numbers ofthe found identifiers. The user enters a tap on one of the channelnumbers identical to that of the master terminal, and the control unitselects one of the found identifiers containing the tapped channelnumber in step 613. The control unit extracts the channel number fromthe selected identifier in step 614. The control unit retrieves apassword corresponding to the extracted channel number from the storageunit in step 615. The control unit controls the wireless communicationunit to transmit a pairing request signal to the master terminal in step616. In the master terminal, the wireless communication unit receivesthe pairing request signal from the slave terminal. The control unit ofthe master terminal retrieves a password corresponding to the broadcastidentifier from the storage unit. When the retrieved password isidentical to the received password, the control unit controls thewireless communication unit to transmit a pairing acceptance signal tothe slave terminal in step 617. After pairing, the master terminalperforms data communication with the slave terminal in step 618.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method for wireless local area communicationaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

In the embodiment of FIG. 7, to increase security, the password forpairing is not stored in the password table of the storage unit but isdirectly set by the user. More specifically, in the master terminal,upon detection of an execution event associated with an application, thecontrol unit activates the application in step 701. Later, the controlunit sets a password for pairing in step 702. For example, the controlunit controls the display unit to display a request message for settinga password. When the user enters a password through the input unit, theinput unit forwards the input password to the control unit and thecontrol unit sets the input password as a password for pairing. Later,the control unit detects a master start event in step 703 and randomlysets a channel number in step 704. The control unit generates anidentifier composed of the application specific code and the set channelnumber in step 705. The control unit controls the display unit todisplay the channel number in step 706, and controls the wirelesscommunication unit to broadcast the identifier in step 707.

In the slave terminal, upon detection of an execution event associatedwith an application, the control unit activates the application in step708. Thereafter, the control unit detects a slave start event in step709. The control unit finds identifiers containing an applicationspecific code among identifiers received through the wirelesscommunication unit in step 710, and counts the number of foundidentifiers in step 711. When no identifier is found, the control unitreturns to step 710. When one identifier is found, the control unitselects the identifier and proceeds to step 713. When two or moreidentifiers are found, the control unit controls the display unit todisplay the channel numbers of the found identifiers. The user enters atap on one of the channel numbers identical to that of the masterterminal, and the control unit selects one of the found identifierscontaining the tapped channel number in step 712. The control unitcontrols the display unit to display a password input field in step 713.When the user of the slave terminal enters a password through the inputunit, the input unit forwards the input password to the control unit andthe control unit sets the input password as a password for pairing.Thereafter, the control unit controls the wireless communication unit totransmit a pairing request signal to the master terminal in step 714.Here, the pairing request signal contains the identifier of the masterterminal and the password entered by the user. In the master terminal,the wireless communication unit receives the pairing request signal fromthe slave terminal. When the set password is identical to the receivedpassword, the control unit controls the wireless communication unit totransmit a pairing acceptance signal to the slave terminal in step 715.After pairing, the master terminal performs data communication with theslave terminal in step 716.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method for wireless local area communicationaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the master terminal may not randomly set achannel number but set a channel number not used by nearby terminals.More specifically, in the master terminal, upon detection of anexecution event associated with an application, the control unitactivates the application in step 801. Later, the control unit detects amaster start event in step 502, and finds channel numbers used by nearbyterminals in step 803. Namely, the control unit finds identifierscontaining an application specific code among identifiers receivedthrough the wireless communication unit, and extracts channel numbersfrom the found identifiers. The control unit sets the smallest channelnumber excluding the extracted channel numbers in step 804. For example,when channel numbers “ch 0” and “ch 1” are found or extracted, thecontrol unit may set the smallest channel number (“ch 2”) excluding “ch0” and “ch 1”. As such, when master terminals use sequential channelnumbers, it is possible to prevent errors due to usage of the samechannel number. Further, slave terminals may display channel numbers insequence. The control unit generates an identifier composed of theapplication specific code and the set channel number in step 805. Thecontrol unit controls the display unit to display the channel number instep 806 and controls the wireless communication unit to broadcast theidentifier in step 807.

In the slave terminal, upon detection of an execution event mapped withan application, the control unit activates the application in step 808.Later, the control unit detects a slave start event in step 809. Thecontrol unit finds identifiers containing the application specific codeamong identifiers received through the wireless communication unit instep 810, and counts the number of found identifiers in step 811. Whenno identifier is found, the control unit returns to step 810. When oneidentifier is found, the control unit selects the identifier andproceeds to step 813. When two or more identifiers are found, thecontrol unit controls the display unit to display the channel numbers(for example, “ch 0”, “ch 1” and “ch 2”) of the found identifiers. Theuser enters a tap on one of the channel numbers identical to that of themaster terminal (for example, “ch 2”), and the control unit selects oneof the found identifiers containing the tapped channel number in step812. The control unit extracts the channel number from the selectedidentifier in step 813. The control unit retrieves a passwordcorresponding to the extracted channel number from the storage unit instep 814. The control unit controls the wireless communication unit totransmit a pairing request signal to the master terminal in step 815. Inthe master terminal, the wireless communication unit receives thepairing request signal from the slave terminal. The control unit of themaster terminal retrieves a password corresponding to the broadcastidentifier from the storage unit. When the retrieved password isidentical to the received password, the control unit controls thewireless communication unit to transmit a pairing acceptance signal tothe slave terminal in step 816. After pairing, the master terminalperforms data communication with the slave terminal in step 817.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method for wireless local area communicationaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the master terminal may skip identifierbroadcasting to increase security. In the master terminal, upondetection of an execution event associated with an application, thecontrol unit activates the application in step 901. Later, the controlunit detects a master start event in step 902 and then identifieschannel numbers used by nearby terminals in step 903, wherein, thecontrol unit identifies channel numbers used by other terminals throughdirect search. The control unit sets a channel number not used by nearbyterminals in step 904 and controls the display unit to display the setchannel number in step 905. More specifically, in steps 903 to 905, thecontrol unit of the master terminal generates a first inquiry identifierand controls the wireless communication unit to broadcast the firstinquiry identifier to find another master terminal. When no other masterterminal responds to the first inquiry identifier, the control unit setsthe first inquiry identifier as an identifier for pairing. When anothermaster terminal responds to the first inquiry identifier, the controlunit generates a second inquiry identifier and controls the wirelesscommunication unit to broadcast the second inquiry identifier. Thisprocess may be repeated until no master terminal responds. Here, thefirst inquiry identifier may be generated by combining an applicationspecific code with a selected channel number; the second inquiryidentifier may be generated by combining the application specific codewith the next channel number (or the previous channel number); and so onwith increasing channel number (or decreasing channel number). Forexample, the control unit broadcasts “EmoLink ch 0” as a first inquiryidentifier. When no other master terminal responds to the first inquiryidentifier, the control unit sets “EmoLink ch 0” as an identifier forpairing. When another master terminal responds to the first inquiryidentifier, the control unit may broadcast “EmoLink ch 1” as a secondinquiry identifier. Thereafter, the control unit controls the displayunit to display the set identifier or the channel number (for example,“ch 1”) contained in the identifier.

In the slave terminal, upon detection of an execution event mapped withan application, the control unit activates the application in step 906.In step 907, the control unit detects a slave start event and thenidentifies channel numbers used by nearby terminals through directsearch in step 908. In step 908, the control unit, in order to find themaster terminal, generates a first inquiry identifier and controls thewireless communication unit to broadcast the first inquiry identifier.When a master terminal responds to the first inquiry identifier, thecontrol unit generates a second inquiry identifier and controls thewireless communication unit to broadcast the second inquiry identifier.This process may be repeated using the next inquiry identifier until nomaster terminal responds. Here, the first inquiry identifier may begenerated by combining an application specific code with a selectedchannel number; the second inquiry identifier may be generated bycombining the application specific code with the next channel number (orthe previous channel number); and so on with increasing channel number(or decreasing channel number). In particular, the slave terminal setschannel numbers in the same manner as the master terminal. As the masterterminal sets channel numbers in ascending order from “ch 0” to findother master terminals, the slave terminal sets channel numbers inascending order from “ch 0”. After identification of used channelnumbers, the control unit counts the number of identified channelnumbers in step 909. When no channel number is identified, the controlunit returns to step 908. When one channel number is identified, thecontrol unit selects the identifier containing the identified channelnumber and proceeds to step 911. When two or more channel numbers areidentified, the control unit controls the display unit to display theidentified channel numbers (for example, “ch 0” and “ch 1”). The usertaps one of the channel numbers identical to that of the master terminal(for example, “ch 1”), and the control unit selects one of the foundidentifiers containing the tapped channel number in step 910. Thecontrol unit extracts the channel number from the selected identifier instep 911. The control unit retrieves a password corresponding to theextracted channel number from the storage unit in step 912. The controlunit controls the wireless communication unit to transmit a pairingrequest signal to the master terminal in step 913. In the masterterminal, the wireless communication unit receives the pairing requestsignal from the slave terminal. The control unit of the master terminalretrieves a password corresponding to the identifier thereof from thestorage unit. When the retrieved password is identical to the receivedpassword, the control unit controls the wireless communication unit totransmit a pairing acceptance signal to the slave terminal in step 914.After pairing, the master terminal performs data communication with theslave terminal in step 915.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a method for wireless local area communicationaccording to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 11 is adiagram illustrating screens for operations of the master terminal, andFIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating screens for operations of the slaveterminal. As described below, the master terminal and the slave terminalmay return to the previous networks after termination of pairing.

Referring to FIG. 10, in the master terminal, the display unit displaysan indicator screen 1101, a home screen 1102 and a sub screen 1103 asindicated by (a) of FIG. 11 under control of the control unit. When theuser enters a tap on an icon 1104, the control unit activates anapplication associated with the icon 1104 in step 1001 and controls thedisplay unit to display an application screen 1105 in the main region.Later, the control unit detects a master start event such as a tap on anicon 1106 labeled “master” as indicated by (b) of FIG. 11 in step 1002.The control unit randomly sets a channel number in step 1003. Thecontrol unit generates an identifier composed of the applicationspecific code and the set channel number in step 1004. The control unitcontrols the display unit to display the channel number 1107 asindicated by (c) of FIG. 11 in step 1005, and controls the wirelesscommunication unit to broadcast the identifier in step 1006. The controlunit may control the display unit to display an icon 1108 indicating apairing attempt as indicated by (c) of FIG. 11. The control unit maybroadcast a security enforcement indicator together with the identifier.

In the slave terminal, the control unit activates a requestedapplication in step 1007 and controls the display unit to display anapplication screen 1201 in the main region as indicated by (a) of FIG.12. Later, the control unit detects a slave start event such as a tap onan icon 1202 labeled “slave” as indicated by (a) of FIG. 12 in step1008. The control unit finds identifiers containing an applicationspecific code among identifiers received through the wirelesscommunication unit in step 1009, and counts the number of foundidentifiers in step 1010. When no identifier is found, the control unitreturns to step 1009. When one identifier is found, the control unitselects the identifier and proceeds to step 1012. When two or moreidentifiers are found, the control unit controls the display unit todisplay the found identifiers (for example, “EmoLink ch 107” and“EmoLink ch 305”) as indicated by (b) of FIG. 12. Here, the control unitmay also display an application name such as “Card Game” to indicate amaster terminal executing an online card game application, and furtherdisplay an access point name such as “Iptime”. When the user enters atap on one of the displayed identifiers containing a channel numberidentical to the channel number (i.e., “ch 305”) set by the masterterminal, the control unit selects the identifier (i.e., “EmoLink ch305”) containing the channel number (“ch 305”) set by the masterterminal in step 1011.

The control unit of the slave terminal extracts the channel number fromthe selected identifier in step 1012. The control unit retrieves apassword corresponding to the extracted channel number from the storageunit in step 1013. Here, when the master terminal does not require asecurity setting, step 1013 may be skipped. The control unit controlsthe wireless communication unit to transmit a pairing request signal tothe master terminal in step 1014. In the master terminal, the wirelesscommunication unit receives the pairing request signal from the slaveterminal. The control unit retrieves a password corresponding to thebroadcast identifier from the storage unit. When the retrieved passwordis identical to the received password, the control unit controls thewireless communication unit to transmit a pairing acceptance signal tothe slave terminal in step 1015. After completion of pairing with theslave terminal, the master terminal may stop broadcasting of theidentifier to disable pairing with another terminal. Alternatively, themaster terminal may continue to broadcast the identifier in order tocommunicate with multiple slave terminals. After completion of pairing,the control unit of the master terminal may control the display unit todisplay a notification such as “Pairing completed!” as indicated by (d)of FIG. 11. After completion of pairing, the control unit of the slaveterminal may also control the display unit to display a notificationsuch as “Pairing completed!” as indicated by (c) of FIG. 12.

After pairing, the master terminal performs data communication with theslave terminal in step 1016. For example, when the user enters a tap ona button 1109 labeled “send photo” as indicated by (e) of FIG. 11, thecontrol unit controls the display unit to display a photograph selectionscreen 1110 as indicated by (f) of FIG. 11. When the user selectsphotographs to be sent and enters a tap on a “transmit” button 1111, thecontrol unit controls the wireless communication unit to transmit theselected photographs to the slave terminal. The control unit may alsocontrol the display unit to display the transmission status as indicatedby (g) of FIG. 11. After sending the photographs, the control unit maycontrol the display unit to display an indication “transmissioncompleted” as indicated by (h) of FIG. 11. In the slave terminal, whenthe user enters a tap on a button 1203 labeled “receive photo” asindicated by (d) of FIG. 12, the control unit controls the wirelesscommunication unit to receive photographs. The control unit may controlthe display unit to display the reception status as indicated by (e) ofFIG. 12. Later, when the control unit of the master terminal detects anapplication end event such as a tap on an “end” button 1112 as indicatedby (h) of FIG. 11 in step 1017, it returns to the previous network instep 1018. For example, the control unit of the master terminal mayterminate pairing with the slave terminal and restore a previousconnection to a network such as an access point. Likewise, when thecontrol unit of the slave terminal detects an application end event instep 1019, it returns to the previous network in step 1020.

Although various embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed in detail herein, many variations and modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for transmitting contents by a terminal,the method comprising: activating an application, upon detection of anevent for executing the application; displaying an application screen ofthe activated application having at least one content; detecting a touchinput for selecting a content from among the displayed at least onecontent; transmitting metadata of the selected content to an externalterminal, upon detection of a touch input for transmission; and inresponse to receiving an indication for transmission from the externalterminal, transmitting the selected content to the external terminal. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating an identifiercomprising identification information of the application; and displayingthe identifier.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying theidentifier comprises at least one of: displaying a connection status ofpairing with the external terminal; or displaying a transmission statusto indicate whether the transmitting of the selected content iscompleted or not.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the identificationinformation comprises an application specific code of the application.5. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the identifier comprises:selecting one entry from a preset range of channel numbers as a channelnumber for pairing; and generating the identifier comprisingidentification information of the application and the selected channelnumber.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein selecting the channel numberfor pairing comprises: searching for an external terminal broadcastingidentification information related to the application; and selecting,when one or more external terminals broadcasting identificationinformation related to the application are searched, the earliest entryof a range of channel numbers except for channel numbers preoccupied bythe searched external terminals as the channel number for pairing. 7.The method of claim 2, further comprising: broadcasting the identifierto external terminals; and performing a pairing with an externalterminal having responded to the broadcast identifier.
 8. The method ofclaim 7, wherein performing the pairing with the external terminalcomprises: setting a password to be contained in the identifier; andperforming the pairing with the external terminal if a password receivedfrom the external terminal is identical to the set password.
 9. Themethod of claim 7, wherein performing the pairing with the externalterminal comprises: displaying a plurality of icons respectivelycorresponding to a plurality of external terminals, in response to apairing request to the external terminals having the broadcastidentifier.
 10. An electronic device comprising: a display unit whichdisplays an application screen having at least one content; a controlunit which activates an application, upon detection of an event forexecuting the application, displays the application screen of theactivated application having the at least one content, detects a touchinput for selecting a content from among the displayed at least onecontent, and transmits metadata of the selected content to an externalterminal, upon detection of a touch input for transmission; and awireless communication unit which, under control of the control unit,transmits the selected content to the external terminal, in response toreceiving an indication for transmission from the external terminal. 11.The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the control unit generates anidentifier comprising identification information of the application, andcontrols to display the identifier to the display unit.
 12. Theelectronic device of claim 11, wherein the display unit at least one of:displays a connection status of pairing with the external terminal, ordisplays a transmission status to indicate whether the transmitting ofthe selected content is completed or not.
 13. The electronic device ofclaim 11, wherein the control unit selects one entry from a preset rangeof channel numbers as a channel number for pairing, and generates theidentifier comprising identification information of the application andthe selected channel number.
 14. The electronic device of claim 13,wherein the control unit searches for an external terminal broadcastingidentification information related to the application, and selects whenone or more external terminals broadcasting identification informationrelated to the application are searched, the earliest entry of a rangeof channel numbers except for channel numbers preoccupied by thesearched external terminals as the channel number for pairing.
 15. Theelectronic device of claim 11, wherein the control unit furtherbroadcasts the identifier to external terminals, and performs a pairingwith an external terminal having responded to the broadcast identifier.16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the control unit performsthe pairing with the external terminal by setting a password to becontained in the identifier; and performing the pairing with theexternal terminal if a password received from the external terminal isidentical to the set password.
 17. The electronic device of claim 15,wherein the control unit performs the pairing with the external terminalby displaying a plurality of icons respectively corresponding to aplurality of external terminals, in response to a pairing request to theexternal terminals having the broadcast identifier.
 18. A computerreadable medium storing one or more programs for transmitting contents,when executed by an electronic device, the one or more programscomprising: an instruction for activating an application, upon detectionof an event for executing the application; an instruction for displayingan application screen of the activated application having at least onecontent; an instruction for detecting a touch input for selectingcontent from among the displayed at least one content; an instructionfor transmitting metadata of the selected content to an externalterminal, upon detection of a touch input for transmission; and aninstruction for, in response to receiving an indication for transmissionfrom the external terminal, transmitting the selected content to theexternal terminal.
 19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, whereinthe one or more programs further comprising: an instruction forgenerating an identifier comprising identification information of theapplication; and an instruction for displaying the identifier.
 20. Thecomputer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instruction fordisplaying the identifier comprises at least one of: an instruction fordisplaying a connection status of pairing with the external terminal; oran the instruction for displaying a transmission status to indicatewhether the transmitting of the selected content is completed or not.21. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the one or moreprograms further comprising: an instruction for broadcasting theidentifier to external terminals; and an instruction for performing apairing with an external terminal having responded to the broadcastidentifier.
 22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein theinstruction for performing the pairing with the external terminalcomprises: an instruction for setting a password to be contained in theidentifier; and an instruction for performing the pairing with theexternal terminal if a password received from the external terminal isidentical to the set password.
 23. The computer readable medium of claim21, wherein the instruction for performing the pairing with the externalterminal comprises: an instruction for displaying a plurality of iconsrespectively corresponding to a plurality of external terminals, inresponse to a pairing request to the external terminals having thebroadcast identifier.